Monolithic semiconductor integrated circuit technology has produced a revolution in electronic circuit design and performance. However, the output power normally delivered by such circuits, is quite low. While from thermal and packaging considerations, high wattage amplifiers should be feasible, most single chip integrated circuit (IC) devices will at best deliver a few watts. This is ordinarily inadequate to meet the requirements of much of the audio device markets and in particular, the so-called high fidelity markets.
It is not too difficult to build power transistors into an IC chip and to dissipate the power needed to develop a 20 watt output. However, the IC design constraints have ordinarily resulted in reduced efficiency or unacceptably high distortion in the higher power devices. Thus, there appears to be a tradeoff between power output and efficiency or distortion that has prevented the development of suitable devices.